as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort
it took days of digging away at the subject, but he understands it thoroughly now
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dig (away)
Verb
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When the novel opens in Florence, in 1557, the body of the painter Jacopo da Pontormo lies in the chapel of San Lorenzo—in front of the frescoes he’d labored over for a decade, with a painter’s chisel stuck in his heart.—
Bekah Waalkes,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026 -
Johnson labored through a tender calf, cramping and fatigue.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Engineers have struggled to close the reaction gap between human perception and machine processing without sacrificing accuracy.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
-
De Meo was recruited from the auto industry, and his experience included turning around the struggling automaker Renault at the start of the decade.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Because Lindsey Vonn’s comeback and crash accomplished the one goal that all sports strive to achieve.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
9 Feb. 2026
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Her two oldest boys will be big parts of the men’s team, striving for their first gold since 1980.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Fernandez positioned himself on the shoulder of the last defender as Malo Gusto worked space for a low cross from the right that ran through to the back post.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
7 Feb. 2026
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One survivor can no longer work her manual labor job.—
Gillian Stawiszynski,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Dig (away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dig%20%28away%29. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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